Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Utley's Knee Still a Great Concern

The Phillies announced Tuesday that there is no progress with Chase Utley's injured right knee and that he will remain out of action in Grapefruit League play, as the player and the team wish to avoid surgical remedies at this time.

An MRI this week resulted in Utley being diagnosed with mild patellar tendinitis, bone inflamation and chondromalacia, which is commonly known as runner's knee and refers to discomfort under the kneecap.

The all-star second baseman, Utley, has been taking batting practice regularly, but has not actively taken part in game action and has been avoiding running and fielding drills in recent weeks.

Utley, who claimed in a meeting with the media on Tuesday that he is taking a big picture approach to his injury, expressed his desire to get healthy, but is focused on not doing anything that could effect his health long-term.

"My goal is to alleviate this as quickly as possible, but still keep in mind that I have a career ahead of me," Utley stated.

The unknowns with Utley's ailment far outweigh the established facts about the issue. While surgery is still a possibility, recovery time with or without it are both quite unclear at this stage.

"I think that's the last resort at this point," Utley said. "We're going to try to exhaust every avenue prior to that and continue to see how it goes and monitor it on a daily basis. Again, it is frustrating. At this point I have to stay positive and stay on top of things, which I think we've been doing."

The current game plan to fill any void left by Utley in the regular season would prominently feature Wilson Valdez, according to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.